Thursday, March 28, 2024

Confine animals to avoid African swine

Share

The Veterinary Department in Kabompo District in North Western Province has commenced sensitization of farmers on the prevention of African swine fever.

District Veterinary Officer, Gershom Chungu said sensitizing of farmers by the department on disease control have continued though no report of the disease has been recorded in the district so far.

Dr.Chungu told ZANIS in Kabompo today that the emphasize is on the need to confine the pigs as one of the ways of preventing the disease from spreading further.

He said farmers need to be careful especially when restocking as the pigs acquired from other areas might have the disease.

Dr Chungu urged farmers in the District to inform the veterinary department whenever they got pigs from other areas so that precaution can be made in case of any case of the swine fever.

He added that livestock and pigs should not be allowed to roam freely but should be confined securely.

The disease was first reported in Chinsali in May 2017 and was recently reported to have spread to four other districts that include Isoka, Shiwang’andu, Mpika and Chama.

Dr Chungu said African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease of swine that could record 100% mortality.

Meanwhile, Chieftainess Sikute of the Toka-Leya speaking people of Kazungula District in Southern Province has re-iterated calls to the Department of National Parks and Wild-Life in Livingstone to send officers in her Chiefdom to gun down stray elephants, Hippos and Crocodiles which has continued killing her subjects.

The traditional leaders said the animals have continued killing people in some of villages in her Chiefdom despite several appeals to the Department to crop the animals.

She said this in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Chikankata district in Southern province today.

The Traditional leader said that just few days ago, another life was lost when a boy was trampled upon by the lone lion in the area.

Chieftainess Sikute said some lone elephants, crocodiles and Hippos have continued causing havoc in her Chiefdom by killing people as well as eating peoples maize crops, even during day light.

She added that if nothing is done urgently, her Chiefdom will suffer starvation during the 2017-2018 crop marketing season.

And Ministry of Tourism Spokesperson Sakabilo Kalembwe called on the local people in Sekute’s Chiefdom to work hand in hand with the Wild Life officers in their quest to gun down all stray animals in the Chiefdom.

Mr. Kalembwe said the Ministry regrets the loss of life due to Wild Life animals which are just moving anyhow when they are supposed to be in protected premises to avoid animal –human conflict.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Consequences of keeping your animals in free range style, diseases, poor low grade animals as result of unplanned breeding.

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading